Vacuum can opener



June 9, 1942. P. REYNOLDS 2,236,039

VACUUM CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 8, 1941 IN V EN TOR.

I 22 M. ii

Patented June 9, 1942 VACUUM CAN OPENER Philip Reynolds, Forest .Hills, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Sanford Solarz, New York, N. Y.

Application November 8, 1941, Serial No. 418,284

7 the gripping mechanism before being operated by 3 Claims.

This invention relates to openers for opening cans or the like containers and 'more particularly for opening such containers as vacuum packed cofiee cans, dry packed vegetables, fruit cans and such like. One important object of this inven tion is to provide an opener that will open cans provided with an unwinding band or ribbon.

In the past, containers provided with an unwinding portion could have been opened very awkwardly by using some sort of opening instrument or key usually supplied with the can when sold. In most cases, the key in question. is attached directly on to the can proper through solder or any other means. It has been estimated that the materials used for manufacturing the keys and the costs of labor and machines for attaching such keys to the cans run into considerable amounts. Thus, a further object of this invention is to provide a can opener which can be manufactured and sold at a very low cost so as to make it possible to include such an opener to the kitchen appliances of every household. The opener in question will eliminate the present practice of supplying each can with a key to open the can.

A further object of this invention is to provide an efficient gripping mechanism upon the opener for crimping and holding the end tip of the unwinding bend of the can to be opened.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a handle for operating the can opener.

An additional object of this invention is to provide guiding means upon the can opener which will retain and guide the can opener upon the rim of the can to be opened. I

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be seen from the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing disclosing a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the manner the can opener is held to the rim of the can in readiness and prior to operation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the can opener shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the mechanism for gripping the end of the unwinding band of the can. It also shows the manner the mechanism in question is attached to the handle for operating the can opener.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig, 3, showing the manner the unwinding band of the can is placed within the gripping mechanism. This view shows the position of parts of rotating the handle of the can opener.

Fig. 5 is a similar section to the one shown in Fig. 4, showing the manner the unwinding band of the can is held within the gripping mechanism when the handle operating the opener is rotated.

Fig. 6 shows the assembly of parts of the gripping mechanism shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

Fig. '7 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the handle portion whereto the gripping mechanism is attached on to the handle.

Referring to Fig. 1, 29a represents the handle of the can opener 20. The handle 20a can be made of metal as shown, or wood, plastic etc. The upper portion 2! of the handle 20a is formed into a fork-like extension ending into a guiding portion 22 and an opener supporting portion 23. The guiding portion 22 of the handle 20a has a slot 24 that is placed over the rim R of the can C when opening the can. The other end 23 of the fork-like extension 2| is placed in such a manner as to contact the rim R of the can C to support the can opener upon the can during the opening operation.

An operating handle 25 is attached at 23 to the unwinding band gripping mechanism 21 through the finger extensions 28 which are forced through the openings 28a of the handle 25 and are bent over (see Fig. 3)

The gripping mechanism 21 comprises a pair of tubular members 29 and 30. The member 30 is located within the member 29 and is of such size as to allow suilicient clearance between the inner walls of the outside tubular member 29 and the inside member 30. The member 30 in addition is round along one half 3| of its circumference and pyramid or cone-shaped along the other half 32 and ending into a hook-like extension 33. The outside tubular member 29 is split at 34 to provide an elongated slot 35 wherein the hook-like extension 33 of the inner tubular member 30 is fitted.

The portion 36 of the inner tubular member 30, that is located closer to the handle 25, see Fig. 3, has a number of finger-like extensions 28 described above. In the present case, there are provided four fingers upon the member 30 and arranged in a circle of degrees apart from each other. At the time the gripping mechanism 21 is attached or assembled to the handle 25, the

prongs or fingers 28 are inserted through the slots 28a upon the handle 25 and are bent over to provide sufiicient hold upon the handle to Withstand the force of rotation when operating the can opener.

The outside tubular member 2a is inserted into the flanged opening 31 provided upon the extension 21 of the handle 2:). A number of tips 38 that are formed upon the outside circumference of the outside member 2% and are placed in such position as to limit the amount the upper end of the member 253 is allowed within the flanged opening 37. The upper portion 291]. of the member 29 has a pair of prongs 4i] which are placed in between the fingers 28 of the inner tubular member 3%? and are bent inwardly (see Fig. 6 and '7). In this manner the inner tubular member 39 and the outside member 29 are held together upon the handle 25 although a certain amount of free movement is left between both members so that the inner member 39 can float within the inner walls tic of the outside member 29. The need for such free movement will be described later on in the description of the operation of the device.

The guiding portion 22 of the handle 28a has a slot 25 that is placed over the rim R of the can C. The portion 22 of the forked extension 2! has flanges 22a on both sides for additional rigidity. The inner member 30 is somewhat tapered in form at the operating end 2% and has a slit 2510 to facilitate the formation of the cone shaped portion 32 when manufacturing said member.

Operation To open a vacuum sealed can such as shown in Fig. 1, the can opener 2i is held by the operator at the handle and is placed upon the can in such a manner as to allow the guiding slot. 24 to overlap the rim R of the can C. The end 23 of the forked extension El is placed to contact the top of the rim R.

The tip end of the unwinding band B of the can is then inserted through the slot 35 of the outside tubular member 29 and placed within the space provided by the inner circumference of the member 29 and the cone-shaped portion 32 of the inner member 39.

The knob K of the operating handle 25 is then gripped firmly and the handle rotated in a clockwise direction, (to the right). exercised by the operators handle upon the can openers handle will force the floating inner member St to compel the tip end of the unwinding band to squeeze itself against the inner portion of the outside member This action will supply sufficient pressure to retain fast the tip end of the unwinding band within the gripping mechanism 27.

While the handle 25 is continuously rotated, the operator holds the can opener along the rim of the can, while the can rotates, until the entire unwinding band is removed from the can.

The pressure When the opening operation is completed and the handle 25 is released, the unwinding band can be readily removed or usually drops off.

It is obvious that my invention is susceptible to numerous modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is under stood, and it is intended that my invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A can opener of the class described including a holding handle having a guiding portion thereon, an operating handle rotatively attached to said handle, gripping means attached to said operating handle, said means including an inner and outside tubular member, said inner member being loosely fitted within said outside member, said inner member provided with a, crimping portion for squeezing tight the tip end of the unwinding band of said can against said inner portion of said outside member for holding fast said band end, the rotation of said operating handle winding said unwinding band upon the gripping means aforesaid.

2. A can opener of the class described including a handle having a guiding portion thereon facilitating the guiding of said opener around the circumference of the rim of the can while the can revolves, an operating handle attached thereto, a gripping mechanism for crimping and holding fast the tip end of the unwinding band of a vacuum can, said gripping mechanism including an inner and an outside tubular member, said inner member being loosely fitted within said outside member, said inner member provided with a crimping portion thereon for squeezing tight the tip end of said unwinding band of said can against said outside tubular member, said inner member being attached to said operating handle, the rotation of said handle winding said unwinding band upon the outside member of the gripping mechanism aforesaid.

3. A gripping mechanism for crimping and holding fast the tip end of an unwinding band of a vacuum can or the like container including an outside tubular member and an inside tubular member, said inside member being fitted within said outside member, an operating handle included, said inside member having a set of prongs and being rigidly attached to said handle, said outside member being loosely attached to said inner member, a slot included upon the outside member wherein the tip end of said unwinding band is fitted, the operation upon said operating handle swinging said inside tubular member against the inside circumference of the outside member and crimping said tip end of said unwinding band, the further operation of said operating handle winding said unwinding band upon the outside circumference of the outside tubular member aforesaid.

PHILIP REYNOLDS. 

